Life itself is magic
by jadexxtablo
Summary: Didn't you know that life itself is magic? To live and to breathe is a blessing? that Family and friends are a gift? Tom Riddle's life was stolen from him and from his ashes Voldemort was created. Hermione had all the magic in the world, or so she thought. Only through pain, misery and loss do we learn that life itself is magic. HGxDM pairing I promise. During the battle.
1. Chapter 1

**I promise to you that this is not your typical Tom Riddle's daughter fic... Enjoy! Everything will be more clear in future chapters just be patient with me. Read and Review!**

**Set in Deathly Hallows but AU and totally different in ways. **

**Also Tom Riddle is in the same year as Lily and James in Hogwarts for the purpose of this fic.**

**Disclaimer…yada yada everyone knows this originally belongs to the amazing J.K Rowling.**

**Tom Riddle's story**

'_love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear'_

_-anonymous _

I made a sharp turn, entering the Slytherin dungeons. I had not even noticed another figure approaching and bumped into a girl. The darks dungeons were only lit by candles placed a metre apart, even so I knew I had collided with a girl as she fell into my arms. I stared at the girl, whose face was shadowed by long tresses of curly brown hair, trying to recognise her.

"Lumos", she whispered and I instantly recognized her as Evelyn Mary Kayburn... the stubborn book worm, known as the anomaly in her family of slytherins as the only one in Ravenclaw. Evelyn was as expected high on the academics department, some call us rivals. Although I had seen this girl countless times, (with her know it all personality she would never shut up in class) I had never noticed how dazzlingly beautiful her eyes truly were as she finally managed to control her unruly hair.

"S-sorry ", she stuttered. figures, I thought. She feared me just like everyone else when all I did was brood around, uncaring of anyone. she surprised me though as she recovered, "umm..thanks for that".

"Don't mention it... to anyone," I muttered in my usual cold voice.

"You know if you tried to be sociable people might actually not be afraid of you,"I couldn't help but smile at the irony in her statement and her honesty that amazed me. I truly envied her, not jealous but burning with envy at how all her emotions were written on her face and at one glance you could tell she was innocent , lying or guilty ... how did she get so lucky, both blood purity and personality. And for the first time ever I let myself smile in front of this stranger, or more like it... I let myself smile without a glint of evil tainted like my blood... I just simply smiled. The girl who know stood an arms length away from me was shocked, surprised to say the least but either way she returned the gesture.

"Well maybe they should fear me"

" I think you just find it easier to be hated" she commented in a small voice, curiosity evident.

And for the first time in years I answered honestly, "yeah you're right". After a few seconds I glanced at Evelyn who was smiling from ear to ear, "why are you smiling?"I asked trying not to sound as flustered as I felt.

She thought hard for a few seconds and answered laughingly, "I really don't know."

Her smiles took me off guard and I quickly switched to my stoic and cold self.

"Should you be here, wandering the halls so late at night?"

Her smile faded and she stood on her tip toes leaning closer into me. Not used to the invasion of personal space, I leaned back.

" Should you be here Riddle?"

" you're in Slytherin territory, Kayburn, I believe you shouldn't be here". Evelyn looked at me strangely and opened and closed her mouth several times.

"Will you believe me if I say I got lost?"

"No you're lying"

"Will you believe me if I say I was hungry"

"The kitchens the opposite direction"

"Will you believe me if I say I was sleep walking?"

"In your uniform unlikely"

"Would you believe me if I said I was looking for somewhere to hide"

"And you chose the dungeons for that… believable"

"I could be lying to you Riddle"

"But you're not"

"And how would you know that?"

"Your left eye twitches when you lie and you blink more"

She paused and I realised that this was possibly the longest conversation I ever had with a student. Stupid Tom, she never noticed you staring but you just gave yourself away.

"Do-do you know what I'm hiding from?"

I exhaled loudly aware that Evelyn just discovered she had a grasp on me that no one else did and this could be my weakness. She was my weakness and even she didn't know about it until today. I internally berated myself and did what I do best. I stormed off, down the hallway and entered the nearest door I found. I hid like a coward because I wouldn't let myself be defeated, I have so much to do, so many risks to take and she is not one of them. I sinked to the floor and then I heard her tentative footsteps approaching. She stopped infront of the door and slid down to sit. We were separated by a door but I could still feel her, hear her. I imagined that there was no door between us, no barrier and she leant her back against mine.

"Don't run away from me Riddle, haven't you heard I have the best tracking skills known to the wizarding world" she paused then and I heard scuffling. She was getting up to leave but before she did so, I heard her whisper.

"I'll always see you and I'll always find you".

_That was the day that haunted me for the rest of my life. It was that day that I wanted to take a risk and embrace an emotion I ridiculed, it was love. I was sure that love didn't exist and even if it did I would be the last person to feel love. I had never been loved and I was sure that I was created to never be loved or to ever love. In my mind I formulated so many reasons for my infatuation with Evelyn Kayburn but love I ruled out. I was convinced that love could never prevail cruelty and selfishness but it did. I loved Evelyn more than life itself. She was the outlier, the one who never let me go. she made me human and after she was taken from me I lost what once made me so. _

_Vengeance is what brought me back to life and I won't stop until death is my friend and love is attainable… I won't stop until I get back what was once mine and was taken from me with no jurisdiction or justice. _

I ran down the stairs leading to the dungeons, frantic as I heard her sobs become uncontrollable. My eyes darted into all the classrooms but I could not see her.

"Eve, Eve, EVE!" my desire to find her became more urgent when her crying stopped abruptly.

"In here Tom", her voice was weak and she sounded defeated.

I followed her voice and found her hiding under a table, tears staining her flushed face. I knelt beside her and wiped the trails of tears.

"What's wrong, tell me!"

She glanced at me and from that single look I knew that whatever she was about to tell me would change everything.

"Tom don't be mad but I can't do it, I can't get rid of it…it would kill me do you understand" Eve was rambling and jittery as she spoke. I tried to catch her eyes but she wouldn't look at me.

"Eve calm down and tell me what it is?", I was losing my patience because I had never seen Eve like this before, she was broken and I was responsible for this. Being with me was the hardest choice of her life, no one knew we were together nor could they. She was a pureblood and I a halfblood. We both knew we would go our separate ways when the time came but we were young, selfish and in love we could never let go of each other.

"I'm pregnant".

_The power of words is often undermined. Words relieve us, words elevate us, words influence us, words destroy us… the words I spoke to Evelyn Kayburn where not just words, they were promises. When she uttered those two words I was terrified, I considered what I detested most about my parents, I wanted to get rid of it. But once Evelyn said she couldn't get rid of it I made my own promise that neither would I. I could not fathom how a child could be my own and that I would be a father but it was a promise. I became a father and I would do everything I could to be one. We gave up our lives for a life we could not see, for a human we had not met but already loved. We ran away from the lives that bound us. _

I awoke to the familiar cries of a hungry baby. I automatically sat in bed, eyes still closed and got up after stretching. I walked over to the crib and picked up my little girl who was whining. She stopped almost instantly as I held her and I relished in the warmth a little baby could bring. I cuddled her in my arms and pressed my lips to her tiny forehead. She is only one but already had a full head of unruly brown hair. I reached for the bottle and watched in amazement as she drank the milk and expertly held the bottle with both her hands. I still couldn't believe that I was a father but my daughter was impossible not to love. At first it was difficult looking after her and dealing with finances and being on the run. We fled to a muggle town and I worked in a hard ware store and without Evelyn knowing I also worked odd jobs for Dumbledore in dark magic. I would find the sources of dark magic or potential threats and inform him, it allowed me to meet ends without a struggle.

I was lost in my own thoughts and didn't hear Evelyn approach.

"Look at her chugging that milk, you would think we don't feed her enough".

I laughed at the truth in that statement and as if on cue Hermione finished her milk and let out a little burp. Evelyn was chuckling and reached out to grab her, but my daughter snuggled in closer to me.

"Traitor, she drank my milk for months and now she chooses daddy over me, hmph".

"She's daddy's little girl" I said proudly.

Evelyn headed to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast.

"Hey Tom did we receive and owl from Lily and James?"

"No they are way too busy with Harry, she wrote that he got the cold"

"Poor little harry, I'll owl her now"

The Potter's are friends of Eve's and that's how I met them. During our last days in Hogwarts they discovered a crying Eve in my arms and supported us ever since. It feels reassuring to have someone to connect to from the past, although we left the wizarding world behind us we would always be bound to it, one way or another. For now, our connection the wizarding world is through Lily and James, our friends.

Hermione began stirring in my arms so I left her on the floor and she crawled her way through the house, me following close behind. She stopped and stood infront of Negini's cage , her little caramel eyes full of wonder. Evelyn demanded that Negini have a cage, as she pointed out that it would scare our muggle friends and we didn't know how she would act around Hermione. She banged her little hands on the glass and yelled, which she did when she was excited. I glanced into the cage and noticed that there was another snake beside Negini. I was startled for a moment and then I realised this was Negini's offspring and the snake was tentatively staring at Hermione. I yelled out for Evelyn.

"I told you she was daddy's girl, she already has her own snake". I smirked as Evelyn's jaw dropped.

_They say that a parent feels undeniable and irrevocable love for their child. If this feeling can be described then why is it that no one describes what it feels like once you lose your bundle of joy... your reason? Why is it that this empty feeling cannot be described? What if you were stripped from everything you loved? Wouldn't you want to bring it back, wouldn't you do the impossible? Lord Voldemort is not me, he was created. He was born from revenge, hatred and betrayal. I was once Tom Marvolo Riddle but I no longer exist. I am Lord Voldemort, the one who feels no human emotion, the one who lost everything and the one who will not stop until he destroys all that has caused him pain. The memory of Tom Riddle lives through Voldemort. But unlike Tom Riddle, Voldemort has no recollection of the past, he only remembers his purpose and avoids the memories which would make him feel and think like a human. Tom Riddle is gone and from his ashes Lord Voldemort is born. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_Several years later..._

Hermione stared at her haggard appearance in the mirror. Dark circles outlined her eyes making her look even paler. She was exhausted, she wanted to escape from the war and conflict but she could never live with herself if she did so. She was a Gryffindor and a witch at that, she had a duty to the magical world that had become her home. She slashed water on her face in hopes of washing away the worries that were perpetually etched into her expression.

"ohhh hello there"

Hermione was startled by the appearance of Moaning Myrtle, even though she knew that she would appear at any given moment when there was company present.

"Afternoon, Myrtle", she added in a neutral and derisive tone. Myrtle leaned closer into Hermione, analysing her features. She shifted back uncomfortable at the proximity even though Myrtle could walk right through her.

"You look awfully a lot like this girl, what was her name…"

"I should probably get going, ummm… I have research to do"

Hermione slowly started moving towards the exit of the bathroom and Myrtle cackled and plunged into the toilet.

Hermione who was usually a curious cat was too tired to even consider the words of Myrtle, after all she had a war to fight, little did she know that she had many.

&L.I.I.M-L.I.I.M&

Months of searching, crying and frustration all lead up to this moment. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been after Voldemort for months, they were both looking for him and hiding from him. They were now being dragged to God knows where by Scabbior and his men. Hermione was tense and uncharacteristically afraid. They had worked so hard to defeat the Dark Lord that the thought of their efforts being futile scared her. Harry was their only hope and her goal was to make sure he made it out alive. She was a part of Dumbledore's army so she was willing to do anything for the light to prevail. As they were being dragged into the manor which she knew was housing death eaters, she listed her goals in her mind to remind her of what and who she was dying for. She squeezed Harry and Ron's hand, not in assurance but as a last goodbye.

I was thrown forward and my vision was blurred from the mop of my hair. For the first time I was grateful for the frizz and curls as it covered my face and concealed the true terror I felt. I was at the feet of Bellatrix and I could feel her smirk glaring into my limp body at her feet.

"Boys to the dungeon… leave the mudblood to me"

Her roaring laughter filled the room and I heard Harry and Ron cursing her as they were being dragged away.

The only thing I remember after that is pain. I heard a voice screaming but it took me a long time to realise it was me. I felt as though my body was on fire and I was being stabbed repeatedly. My throat was closing up and I was gasping for air. I felt hot blood flow from my nose as my brain screamed from the agony of curses flying at me. My vision was blurred by darkness but from the corner of my eye I saw silver. I didn't have the strength to focus on anything and I felt my body give up. My screams died down and all I could hear was my slow and steady heartbeat, drumming loudly against my ribcage.

Bellatrix then proceeded to taunt me but all I heard was the occasional mudblood. My head lay stiffly on the side and I felt like I had detached from my body. I was staring but I didn't know at what but I saw silver and the difference in colour amongst all the black and grey was eerily comforting.

I didn't even realise that Bellatrix was carving and ripping at my skin because I felt nothing. If this is what death felt like, I was welcoming it.

I succumbed to the darkness but somehow my eyes fluttered open and I was once again faced with reality. I was alive and the prisoner of Voldemort. I wasn't relieved to be alive because now I was an instrument of torture for Harry and I hoped that he would be smart enough to give up on me.

I was startled from my thoughts as I heard a heavy door opening. I heard heavy footsteps opening but I could not look up. I was alive and defenceless, I internally groaned. I felt the presence of someone and I closed my eyes tighter, afraid of what would come next. I felt myself being picked up and suddenly I was engulfed by warmth. I didn't feel dread in the arms of this stranger and for the first time I formed a coherent thought, he smelled like what I had imagined as frost and mist that covers the snow early in the morning, he smelt like peppermint. I saw a flash of silver as I opened my eyes but my vision was too impaired to make out a figure. Wherever he was taking me took an eternity to reach but I knew from his slow and tentative steps that wherever I was going, it was not going to end well. The stranger tensed and I felt my body stiffen as he detached my body from his and dropped me in a heap, loudly on a wooden surface. I was on a table, and from all the snickers in the room I could assume I was surrounded by death eaters who are ready to eat me alive. My vision was somehow clearing but it was nowhere near 20/20. My arms were lying limply on my side and they were covered in dried up blood, as I looked closer I realised that Bellatrix had inscribed mudblood on my skin. I wanted to laugh and cry and perhaps die. I wanted to move my hands to see if I could atleast die trying to escape. I concentrated on moving my fingers when I saw the silver again, my brow furrowed in confusion. Synapses were firing and rewiring and I realised the silver was actually platinum blond hair that belonged to a face that looked so familiar. My brain was exhausted. I was pulled away from my droning as the air in the room changed and I heard a long laugh. The noise made the hairs on my back stand.

"Well well, tonight sure is a festive night my dear followers… we first had a visit from Harry Potter"

He paused to laugh.

"Now we have his little friend as a prisoner, my evening just got a lot more interesting". He accentuated the s in each word, resembling a conniving snake.

"Looks like I can enjoy killing another one from the oh so good, light side and a member of Dumbledore's army"

I could hear some death eaters laughing, enjoying that they have the upper hand in this war.

I wanted to find my voice, I had to say something.

I tried to say a word but ended up wheezing for air. That's when I felt silver's gaze on me and when I stared at him the second time I knew who he was. Malfoy. I felt bile rise to my throat. We were in the same year, even if we hated each other he would kill me, all for a power play. Our eyes met briefly but I hated what I saw. I saw my fear in his eyes. He was as trapped as I was. I would be served on a platter to the Dark Lord but he would serve the Dark Lord out of loyalty and family tradition.

"Tell me mudblood, why did you join Dumbledore's army?"

I didn't realise the words were meant for me until he yelled "speak" and someone jabbed my ribs. I hissed in pain.

"To fight you" was all I said but it took an immense amount of effort.

"Hmmm… I thought you were meant to be smart for a mudblood, didn't you know your efforts would be fruitless against me". He said the last part as a statement rather than a question.

He lifted me in the air with his wand and instantly dropped me, I fell against the table, pain shooting from my spine. I told myself to breathe and concentrate on the silver, who was avoiding my gaze.

Voldemort was laughing to himself and I realised that I wasn't afraid of him. This was our first encounter in which we actually talked and faced each other but my brain and fear instincts where elsewhere.

"You'll never win you know", I didn't know where my voice and confidence was coming from.

"You are quite brave for someone who's about to die at my hands"

He had sat in his chair that was as expected the tallest and he had an evil smirk plastered on his face.

"Atleast I'll die fighting for something"

"Ahhh but you see mudblood, dying by fighting for something isn't always an honourable death…take me for example or your beloved Dumbledore".

I saw Malfoy flinch at the mention of the deceased head master.

"But you see dying isn't enough now is it. Your death mudblood will be an advantage to me, it will ruin Harry Potter and your death will mean that the dark side wins. I WIN!"

His reasoning was obtusely accurate but I could never let him see that.

I laughed more than I ever had and the room was quiet. a pin could drop but all that could be heard was my laughter.

"SHUT UP YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD"

"you're a half blood hypocrite Voldemort" I had a death wish, a legitimate one and I wanted it granted now.

The Dark Lord was livid with rage and he pounded the wooden table with his fist. I felt the vibration of his punch underneath me as the wood creaked.

"Call in my friends" was all he said before reclaiming his seat and smiling smugly.

The doors were opened and I tried to crane my neck to see who would be my executioner. The death eaters in the room grew uncomfortable as a large green snake slithered its way onto the table.

Before I felt the fear dawn on me, my mind was clouded of visions. I saw a little girl with an equally small snake around her neck, she was giggling as the reptile nested itself around her shoulders. Then another vision of the same snake, larger and curled up in a bed beside her. When her mind cleared she was met with the beady eyes of the snake but then suddenly a round of gasps resonated as another snake made its way to the table. Death eaters flinched at the sight. Just as I saw the fangs of the snake closest to me, the other snake interfered. The other snake had light green scales with yellow flecks and I assumed that the snakes were trying to claim me as their dinner. I closed my eyes trying to forget that my death was approaching but it never came. I opened my eyes slowly and all I saw was the beady eyes of the snake. My mind was reeling as memories evaded my thoughts.

"Negisa" was the last words I uttered before I passed out.

**Reviews appreciated **


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